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4.05.2010

Today, I posted a blog on my CJ Scientific Communication site about RAISED BED GARDEN DESIGN, using keyword and title optimization. It turns out that particular keyword phrase is not over-used on the Internet, but is searched for fairly regularly. That makes it, theoretically, a good keyword for optimization of web pages. I figured, since it is the gardening time of year, it might be a good topic to have floating in the Internet space.

When I searched for "raised bed garden design" (in quotes), my blog post was ranked #32 out of 4,860 pages that Google pulled in as relevant. If my math is right (and it often isn't), that puts my blog post in the 99th percentile. That's a solid A+ in anyone's book.

Of course, to ever get any traffic to my blog post requires that it rank in the top 10 of all pages pulled in by Google. Rarely do people click through to less highly ranked pages, because they trust Google to give them the most relevant pages up front.

What I am trying to learn through trial and error is if backlinking to the other blog post garners me any additional rank.

I've put a link to that blog post on this page a couple times. As soon as I post this blog, in theory Google is going to see an increase in backlinkage to the other blog. Now this is entirely speculative.

As I said, I work well using trial and error. It's done me right my whole life. It may be that readers of this blog have to CLICK ON THE LINK and actually go to the other blog before it adds cred to that blog. Maybe I need to register the other blog post in Google's blog registration thingy, whatever that is called. See, I'm amateur yet.

It may also be that one backlink on this blog is as good as 50. Maybe better. Google seemingly knows when backlinks are being exploited and adjusts accordingly to avoid spammers (and good for them). Any outcome is a success. This is an EXPERIMENT. Results are observed, hypotheses adjusted, and I try again - and again, and again. Life is a process.

Anyway, my 10 minutes is rapidly evaporating. I wanted to conclude with a brief example of how trial and error has worked for me. I have also been teaching myself how to record and produce better music, so that I can try to get MY MUSIC placed in film and television licensing opportunities. My only real goal with that is to be able to see a movie or a TV show and hear one of my songs playing on a car radio or a jukebox in the background of a scene. Nothing more. Well, I want some money for that too. But nothing more than money and hearing my song brightening the lives of movie or TV people.

I ramble. So here's the example of trial and error's FREE benefits on my life. I have two versions of a song I wrote, called "A Romeo and Juliet Thing." One was recorded over a year ago, before I embarked on my one year of total immersion as a self-employed musician/producer, training myself (by trial and error) to record and produce songs in my home studio that are "broadcast quality" (as required for film and TV).

I would love it if you would compare and contrast these versions and comment below.

It may be that version 1 is actually better in your valued opinion. There is something to be said for using artificial drum loops. They are flawless, albeit monotonous. Real drummers make mistakes, but they have "feeling." So it's kind of subjective, depending on what you like. But try to be as objective as possible. Judge them on overall musicality and sound quality. Can you hear everything? Can you dance to it? Is it real?

I am really open minded and I can take constructive critique. It makes me better. That is what trial and error is all about, little quantum leaps of improvement, tiny differential slices of asymptotic perfection. OK, my head just exploded.